Tanzania

» Police kill reporter in first work-related fatality in at least 20 years.

A journalist was killed in the line of duty in September, the first Tanzanian work-related fatality documented by CPJ in the 20 years it has kept detailed records. Police attacked veteran TV reporter Daudi Mwangosi, who was shot point-blank with a tear-gas canister and died at the scene, witnesses said. Mwangosi, of the private Channel 10 station, had confronted officers over the arrest of another journalist during an opposition rally, news reports said. The authorities arrested a junior officer in connection with the killing, but they didn’t pursue at least six other officers thought to be associated with the death, according to a report released by the independent Media Council of Tanzania. The government can use 17 repressive, media-related statutes to crack down on critical coverage. Under the Newspaper Act of 1976, the information ministry indefinitely banned the Swahili-language weekly MwanaHalisi in July on vague charges of sedition and false reporting in unspecified articles. The paper’s chief editor, Jabir Idrissa, said he suspected the publication was targeted for its coverage of a physicians’ strike in the country and the abduction and torture of Steven Ulimboka, a doctor leading the strikers. Reports from MwanaHalisi had suggested the authorities were involved in the attack on Ulimboka, but the government denied the allegations, news reports said.

Police killed Channel 10 reporter Daudi Mwangosi in September during a confrontation at a street rally, according to news reports. Government officials, including police, are suspected of involvement in more than 20 percent of journalist killings worldwide, CPJ research shows.

Suspected source of fire in fatalities worldwide:

30%

Political group

23%

Government officials

19%

Unknown

13%

Criminal group

7%

Paramilitary group

5%

Military officials

2%

Local residents

2%

Mob violence

* Adds up to more than 100 percent because of rounding

In July, the government indefinitely banned the critical Swahili-language weekly MwanaHalisi, accusing the paper of publishing seditious articles. Local journalists suspected the ban was related to the paper’s coverage of an attack on a local doctor. Tanzania has shut down critical publications in the past.

October 2008:

January 2011:

July 2012:

Tanzania’s constitution, despite having strong provisions for press freedom, includes at least 17 anti-media laws that induce journalists to practice self-censorship, according to CPJ research.

Some of the restrictive laws:

National Security Act
1970

The law makes it a punishable offense for a person to obtain, possess, comment on, share, or publish any document or information the government deems classified.

Newspaper Act
1976

The law gives the government broad powers to ban or shut a publication considered to have engaged in seditious activity.

Public Leadership Code of Ethics Act
1995

The law restricts the media from investigating or reporting on property holdings of public officials.

Internet penetration in Tanzania has steadily increased over the past few years, according to the most recent data from the International Telecommunication Union. With plans to build a 4,600-mile fiber-optic cable network across the country, the country hopes to rival neighboring Kenya as an online regional hub, according to news reports.